One of the first things that struck me when I moved to Tamaki Makaurau Auckland were the over 50 volcanic cores that are sprinkled throughout the city. I have used these volcanic cores as guideposts to help me figure out where I am. If I got lost I could drive towards Maungakiekie One Tree Hill or Rangitoto Island and I could figure out how to get home. Certain volcanic cores I see daily on my walks. I have enjoyed watching how they change through the time of day, in different weather conditions and across the seasons.
I am inspired by the geological story that these volcanic cores tell about how Tamaki Makaurau Auckland was shaped. I wanted to honour their importance for me in getting to know the city and calling this city home. I decided to create an experimental bangle that traced the summit of the volcanic cores. Motukorea Browns Island is a particularly wonderful specimen to be able to see that line clearly by foot. I began to play with recreating that summit line in copper.
I drew from my architectural studies to get my head around the shaping of the first trial. I recreated the top of Motukorea Browns Island in cardboard, with the help of a topographic map. This way I could shape the metal faithfully, but also to get an idea of the making process.
Once I had an idea of Motukorea Browns Island, I turned to its larger neighbour Rangitoto. This volcanic core is an icon of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland. It dominates the horizon line when you’re coming in and out of the harbour. Using the same process as the first trial, I added some hammered detail into the bangle.
For the final pieces which were created in sterling silver, I added 14ct yellow gold detail to the bangle. This gold points North in the tracing of the summit line. I wanted to acknowledge the idea that I used these landmarks to help locate myself in the city. The bangle design was inspired by Rangitoto Island and a ring Motukorea Browns Island. This speaks to their closeness, but also the scale difference. These two islands have very different presences in the harbour, yet are connected. Below are the final pieces on show at Proof of Concept at Depot Artspace, Davenport, until 20 December 2023.
